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Sanabria Publishes Book on Evolutionary Neuroscience in Counseling

November 04, 2025

By Jessica Firpi ’11

Samuel Sanabria, professor of counseling in Rollins’ Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, has released a new book on applied neuroscience concentration and evolutionary neuroscience.

Image of image-1f3e00f4cda8686c6bf5ea650abd351341b7b54d-600x900-jpg
Photo by Scott Cook ’24MBA.

Evolutionary Neuroscience in Counseling and Therapy: An Integrated Approach offers a comprehensive exploration of how evolutionary theory, neuroscience, and modern counseling and psychotherapy intersect to deepen understanding of human behavior, cognition, emotions, and relationships. By bridging these fields, the book equips mental health professionals and students with innovative insights and practical tools to enhance therapeutic practice and improve client outcomes. Covering topics such as attachment theory, cognition and negative bias, social dynamics, and cultural considerations, it applies evolutionary and neuroscience perspectives to issues like anxiety, depression, trauma, and relationship dynamics while also exploring the future of the field.

Evolutionary Neuroscience in Counseling and Therapy supports a future-focused, interdisciplinary approach to mental health and is ideal for courses and programs in mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, psychology, social work, and related disciplines.

The Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Rollins offers an optional concentration in applied neuroscience, which is designed to provide graduate students with an in-depth understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of human behavior, emotions, and cognition. By bridging the gap between neuroscience and mental health practice, this program equips students with the knowledge and skills to apply neuroscientific and evolutionary psychology principles in therapeutic settings. The integration of these disciplines empowers students to enhance the effectiveness of their interventions, grounding their practice in a comprehensive understanding of the brain’s structure, function, and evolutionary development.


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